Ever since man developed the art of weaving and knitting, the use of textile in the garments and clothing industry has remained on the forefront. While in the early days, textile was only made of fibers derived from natural sources, currently both natural as well as synthetic fibers are being used in making textile material. Regardless of the material used in making textile, dyeing of the textile material has its own importance and has evolved significantly over time.
While the earliest written record of dyeing dating back to 2600 BC has been found in China, it was only in the year 1856 that the world's first synthetic dye was discovered. Until this discovery, all dyes in use were obtained from natural substances or materials. Most colors obtained from natural sources were inconsistent and sometimes stronger with a high likelihood of fading out upon washing. Synthetic dyes on the other hand always produce a uniform shade. This is because the particle size of most natural dyes is quite large compared with those of synthetic dyes, which prevents deep enough penetration of the natural dyes into the textile material. Thus, this lack of uniformity in shades led to natural dyes being quickly replaced by the newer synthetic dyes.
Because of the increased usage of synthetic dyes, the benefits and therapeutic utility offered by natural fibers and natural dyes started getting ignored. It is well known that the garments and textile products made of natural fibers & dyes are not only eco-friendly but also beneficial for the health. However, as most of the currently known processes involved in treating fibers with natural dyes are quite cumbersome and time-consuming, there has been little or no incentive to use natural dyeing processes to the full benefit of the consumers.
There is therefore a need for efficient processes utilizing natural dyes for treating garments and textile for the purposes of coloring in order to exploit the full benefits of natural fibers and material. There is also a need for natural dyeing processes that help retain the colors firmly in the fibers for a much longer period of usage.